Boeing’s Crisis Mismanagement

The planemaker’s handling of disasters reveals a failure in leadership and a culture of concealment

On March 10th, 2019, a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Ethiopian Airlines took off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi. Many passengers on the flight, which included medics, academics, volunteers, and peacekeepers, were heading to Kenya to attend a session hosted by the UN Environment Assembly on finding innovative solutions for environmental challenges. During the conference, participants would address a wide array of challenges, from eradicating poverty to managing natural resources, waste, and food security.

They never made it. Two minutes after takeoff, the pilots reported a “flight control” problem to the control tower, and the plane’s flight control system was activated shortly after. Air traffic control granted permission to return to the airport and diverted other approaching flights. But the plane’s nose continued to dive. The pilots struggled to contend with a flight-control system that Boeing’s own employees had voiced concerns about years before the plane had even come to market.

Almost one year after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, Boeing is set to take the blame. In its probe of the incident, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee concluded that the 737…